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College Basketball Bubble Watch: Week 16

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange fans celebrate on the court following the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange fans celebrate on the court following the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard John Gillon (4) takes the game winning shot in the final moments of the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange guard John Gillon (4) takes the game winning shot in the final moments of the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 78-75. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

Syracuse Orange 

Wednesday’s dramatic win over Duke doesn’t make Syracuse a lock, but it helped erase the damage done by a recent three-game losing streak.

The Orange entered the showdown against the red-hot Blue Devils having dropped recent games to Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech in addition to a tough overtime loss at home against Louisville. After falling behind 33-25 at halftime, Syracuse completed the comeback with a banked-in three by John Gillion as time expired for its biggest win of the year.

While there’s a lot of ugly results on the resume, it’s going to be hard to keep Syracuse out with a conference record of 9-7 in the brutal ACC. The Orange now have wins over Duke, Florida State, Virginia and Miami, which should help ease the committee’s doubts about a shaky No. 75 RPI.

As the rest of the nation found out last year, Jim Boeheim’s team will be dangerous if it makes the field, even as a double-digit seed. The Orange have been playing well on the offensive end with the No. 32 adjusted efficiency in the nation per Ken Pomeroy, as Gillon can fill it up in a hurry.

Picking up a road win over Louisville on Sunday would certainly take some pressure off the Orange heading into the season finale with Georgia Tech and the ACC Tournament.